Folding and swinging hydraulic boom



June 18, 1963 H. B. PETERSON FOLDING AND swINcING HYDRAULIC BOOM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1, 1960 IN VEN TOR. flare/d B- Pefer'son June 18, 1963 H. B. PETERSON FOLDING AND SWINGING HYDRAULIC BOOM Filed April 1, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R m m m Harold S. Peferaon Jim H T United States Patent 3,094,228 FOLDING AND SWINGING HYDRAULIC BOOM Harold B. Peterson, Larchwood, Iowa Filed Apr. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 19,334 Claims. (Cl. 214-133) My invention relates to a folding and swinging hydraulic boom.

An object of my invention is to provide a boom which can be controlled from a tractor, and can be operated by means of the usual tractor hydraulic sources.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the boom can be expanded to a fairly considerable distance and can be retracted as well.

A further object of my invention is to provide hydraulic means for controlling grapple members at the end of the boom.

A further object of my invention 'is to provide means for swinging the boom laterally as desired.

A further object of my invention is to provide an adjustable bracing device for bracing the tractor during certain conditions.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the device showing the important elements only,

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the fork or grapple device,

[FIGURE 3 is a side view of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation showing the boom in its folded or retracted position,

FIGURE 5 is an end view of a portion of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged isometric detail View of a portion of FIGURE 1.

My invention contemplates the provision of an allpurpose type of hydraulic boom which can swing to different positions and which can be expanded or retracted to various other positions to thereby accommodate a variety of uses. It should be understood throughout the specification herein that I am illustrating the important principles and functions of my device, it being understood that various changes could be made without departing from the essential spirit of my invention.

I have used the character 10 to designate a transverse axle housing of a standard tractor, and bolted to this housing by means of the U bolts 11 is a platform 12 which can be a portion of a draw bar tractor or which can be an ordinary platform, the character 13a indicating a transverse spacing member.

The character 13 indicates a hydraulic cylinder which operates the rod 14 which is pivoted at 15 to an ear 16 which is pivoted at 17 to the extended lever 18 which terminates in the step member 19.

The character 20 indicates a cylindrical sleeve suitably attached to a brace 21, which brace is secured rigidly to the front of the tractor, the character 22 indicating a further brace (see FIGURE 4) it being understood that the tractor can be braced in any suitable manner however, the character 23 indicating supports which are secured to the hydraulic head 24, which hydraulic head includes a series of hydraulic control levers 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, the character 30 indicating a pressure tube communicating with the head 24, and the character 31a indicating the outlet tube. The lever 25 is adapted to control the cylinder 13 so that the rod 14 can be forced outwardly or inwardly, it being understood that all of the various cylinders already 3,094,228 Patented June 18, 1963 Kit? described and about to be described will operate in both directions, and by virtue of this rod 14 the bracing members 18 and 19 can be adjustably fixed so that the member 19 will bear against the ground to thereby brace the tractor adjustably as required.

The lever 26 is adapted to control a further cylinder 27a (see FiGURE 5), operates a rod 28a, which is pivotally secured at 29a to a short lever 30a, which is secured to a vertically positioned cylindrical post 31 which includes the reduced portion 32, which portion 32 is received in the platform 12 in the opening 33 and which thereby allows rotation of the post 31. The cylinder 27a is suitably pivoted at 27b.

Also secured to the post 31 are a pair of ears 34 between which is pivoted an ear 35 which is attached to the hydraulic cylinder 36 which operates the piston rod 37. The cylinder 36 is suitably connected in the circuit of the lever 29 to be controlled thereby.

The rod 37 is pivoted at 38 to a further lever 39 which is journalled to a transverse shaft or rod 40 which is rigidly secured at 41 to the top of the post 31.

Also journalled on the transverse rod 40 are the bracing members 42 and 43 which permit bracing of the boom structures about to be described, it being understood, however, that other bracing arrangements can be used.

The member 42 is braced by means of the bracing structure 44 (see FIGURE 1) and pivoted to the menu ber 42 at 45 is a link 46 which is pivoted at 47 to a further extending bar 48 which is pivoted at 49 to a further bar 50, and pivoted at 51 to the link 46 is a piston rod 52 which is operated by means of the hydraulic cylinder 53 which is pivoted at 54 to the boom member 42, the hydraulic cylinder 53 being operated by means of the lever 28 and being suitably connected thereto.

Pivoted at 55 to the end of the boom 42 is a further boom structure comprising the members 56 and 57, and

attached between the members 56 and 57 are the ribs 58 which are secured to a bearing 59 through which passes a pin 60, which pin pivots between the spaced links 61, the lower ends of which links 61 are pivoted at 62 to the member 50.

Secured at 63 to the upper portion of the member 57 is a brace 64 to which is attached a rod '65 terminating in the washer 66, and receiving the rod 65 at either end are the springs 67, which bear against the collar 68, which slidably receives the rod 65, and which collar 68 is secured as at 69 between the links 61.

The members 56 and 57 terminate at 70 and are pivotally pinned at 71 to the links 72 which in turn are pivoted at 73 to the members 74 which are secured to the transverse bars 75 to which are attached the rake or grapple tines 76.

Secured to one of the members 74 is the extending lever 77 which is pivotally attached at 78 to the piston rod 79 which is operated by means of the cylinder 80, the cylinder 80 being in turn controlled by means of the lever 27 and being suitably connected in the hydraulic circuit. The cylinder 80 is pivotally secured at 81 to the other member 74, the chanacter 82 indicating a further brace bar.

The rod 40 is secured at 83 to the members 84.

It should be understood herein that fragmentary sections and portions are purposely shown herein so as to clarify the structure, it being further understood that other changes and modifications such as bracing and the like could be made, as well as the method of supporting the members without departing from the essential spirit of the invention.

The device operates in the following manner.

It will be noted that by suitably controlling the cylin- 3 der 13, the members 18 and 19 can be adjustably fixed to bear against the ground according to different condi tions so that the rear of the tractor will be suitably braced when the booms are performing the various functions about to be described.

By moving the lever 29, the cylinder 36 is operated which in effect will raise the boom structure through the agency 'of the piston rod 37 with the pivotal connection at 38. The raising will take place due to the fact that in spite of the parallelogram formed by the members 42, and 48 and 50, the rod 52 can be maintained at a fixed position which will lock the structure so that the aforesaid raising action will occur and whereby the entire boom structure will then be raised according to the desired conditions, and in this way it will be noted that the boom structure can be swung upwardly and downwardly. The cylinder 80 and the rod 79 which are controlled by means of the control lever 27, and which are suitably connected into the circuit of the lever 27, will provide means for opening or closing the grapple tines 76 as will be obvious from a study of FIGURE 3 since retraction of the rod 79 will draw the bar 77 downwardly and spread the structures 74 and 76 apart so that in this manner the grapple or fork rnernber can be usefully employed for whatever purpose is desired. To extend the boom portions 56 and 57 the lever 28 is operated in the desired direction which will cause the rod 52 to force the link 46 to the right as viewed in FIGURE 1, which will correspondingly through the pivotal action at 60 and 62, force the pivotal point at 60 to swing about the pivotal point at 55, and since the pivotal point at 60 is in effect secured to the members 57 and 56, the etfect will be to extend the members 57 and 56 outwardly so that these members can then be adjustably positioned to a desired extension and the tine members 74 and 76 operated as Well. The rod 52 is operated by the cylinder 53, which cylinder 53 is controlled by means of the lever 28. When it is desired to swing the entire arrangement in a horizontal plane, or in other words to rotate the boom to the desired position, the lever 26 is operated to extend the rod 2811 which through the attachment at 29a to the member 30a will cause the vertically positioned post 31 to rotate to whatever extent desired. The cylinder 13 is operated from the control lever 25.

In some cases for ditch digging and the like, the point 49 can be transferred to the common point 51 where the rod 52 joins therewith, which shortens the amount of the extension of the boom and allows for more convenient manipulation.

It will be noted that the springs 67 during the action against the collar 68 will provide a smooth and uniform resilient action during the extension or contraction of the boom.

The various control levers 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 can be operated in either direction to cause forcing of the pistons which extend the various rods or contraction thereof, since the cylinders are double-acting, ordinary hydraulic circuits being well known in the art for this purpose, as well as the valve structures. It will be noted that the parallelogram feature caused principally by the various members 39, 42, 48 and 50 etc., provides a novel method of extending the boom together with its associated pivoting points, which renders the structure comparatively simple in formation and efficient in action.

FIGURE 4 shows how the arrangement is folded together so that it can be conveyed from place to place on the tractor, and to provide this folding operation, first the boom member comprising the members 42, 48, 50 etc., is raised as far as possible in the manner described, and then the cylinder 53 is operated so that the rod 52 is retracted which in effect causes the pivotal point 62 to move the point 60 in such a manner as to continue to collapse the members together until they reach the po- 4 sition shown in FIGURE 4 or the transporting position of the unit.

It will be noted that during the raising action, after the unit is in its collapsed position, when the pivotal point at 62 advances the leverage on the boom will be increased during the initial stages by bringing the pivoting point at 60 to a higher position relative to the pivoting point at 55 which thereby increases the mechanical advantage so that the arrangement is then easily lifted to its normal operating position.

As stated hereinabove it will be understood that various modificaions could be made without departing from the essential principles mentioned herein.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any moditied forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

'1. A folding and swinging boom comprising a boom structure including an extended bar, and a further extended bar parallel to said extended bar, hydraulic means for extending said extended bar with respect to said further extended bar including a link pivoted to a fixed pivot on said further extended bar, and pivoted to said extended bar, a further link pivoted to a fixed point on said further extended bar and pivoted to said extended bar, hydraulic means attached to said further extended bar and to said further link for moving said further link and said extended bar outwardly with respect to said further extended bar, a further boom structure pivoted to the outer end of said further extended bar.

2. A folding and swinging boom comprising a boom structure including an extended bar, and a further extended bar parallel to said extended bar, hydraulic means for extending said extended bar with respect to said further extended bar including a link pivoted to a fixed pivot on said further extended bar, and pivoted to said extended bar, a further link pivoted to a fixed point on said further extended bar and pivoted to said extended bar, hydraulic means attached to said further extended bar and to said further link for moving said further link and said extended bar outwardly with respect to said further extended bar, a further boom structure pivoted to the outer end of said further extended bar, a collar, a rod slidably received in said collar, springs receiving said rod, and abutting against said collar, support members pivotally attached at the ends thereof to the end of said extended bar, said collar being attached to said support members at the other ends thereof.

3. A folding and swinging boom comprising a boom structure including an extended bar, and a further extended bar parallel to said extended bar, hydraulic means for extending said extended bar with repect to said further extended bar including a link pivoted to a fixed pivot on said further extended bar, and pivoted to said extended bar, a further link pivoted to a fixed point on said further extended bar and pivoted to said extended bar, hydraulic means attached to said further extended bar and to said further link for moving said further link and said extended bar outwardly with respect to said further extended bar, a further boom structure pivoted to the outer end of said further extended bar, a collar, a rod slidalbly received in said collar, springs receiving said rod, and abutting against said collar, support members pivotally attached at the ends thereof to the end of said extended bar, said collar being attached to said support members at the other ends thereof, means for swinging said boom structure laterally comprising a further support adapted to be attached to a tractor, a vertical post rotatable in said support, said post being attached to said boom structure, whereby rotation of said post will swing said boom structure, hydraulic means for rotating said post, hydraulic means for raising said boom structure, including a cylinder, a piston rod operated by said cylinder, said piston rod being pivotal-1y attached to the pivoted point of said link and said extended bar.

4. A folding and swinging boom comprising a boom structure including an extended bar, and a further extended bar parallel to said extended bar, hydraulic means for extending said extended bar with respect to said further extended bar including a link pivoted to a fixed pivot on said further extended bar, and pivoted to said extended bar, a further link pivotedto a fixed point on said further extended bar, and pivoted to said extended bar, hydraulic means attached to said further extended bar and to said further link for moving said further link and said extended bar outwardly with respect to said further extended bar, a further boom structure pivoted to the outer end of said further extended bar, a collar, a rod slid-ably received in said collar, springs receiving said rod, and abutting against said collar, support members pivotally attached at the ends thereof to the end of said extended bar, said collar being attached to said support members at the other ends thereof, means for swinging said boom structure laterally comprising a further support adapted to be attached to a tractor, a vertical post rotatable in said support, said post being attached to said boom structure, whereby rotation of said post will swing said boom structure, hydraulic means for rotating said post, hydraulic means for raising said boom structure, including a cylinder, a piston rod operated by said cylinder, said piston rod being pivotally attached to the pivoted point of said link and said extended bar, a grapple member, hydraulic means for operating said grapple member, said grapple member including pairs of arms pivoted at their upper ends, one of said arms including a lever attached thereto, said hydraulic means being pivotally attached to said lever, supporting links pivotally secured to said arms, and to the outer end of said further boom structure.

5. A folding and swinging boom comprising a boom structure including an extended bar, and a further extended bar parallel to said extended bar, hydraulic means for extending said extended bar with respect to said further extended bar including a link pivoted to a fixed pivot on said further extended bar, and pivoted to said extended 'bar, a further link pivoted to a fixed point on said further extended bar and pivoted to said extended bar, hydraulic means attached to said further extended bar and to said further link for moving said further link and said extended bar outwardly with respect to said further extended bar, a further boom structure pivvoted to the outer end of said further extended bar, support members pivotally attached to the end of said extended bar, means for pivotally attaching said further boom structure to said support members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,573,5-2-8 Woolslayer Oct. 30, 1951 2,799,412 Pilch July 16, 1957 2,828,867 Frisk Apr. 1, 1958 3,003,651 Holopainen Oct. 10, 196 1 

1. A FOLDING AND SWINGING BOOM COMPRISING A BOOM STRUCTURE INCLUDING AN EXTENDED BAR, AND A FURTHER EXTENDED BAR PARALLEL TO SAID EXTENDED BAR, HYDRAULIC MEANS FOR EXTENDING SAID EXTENDED BAR WITH RESPECT TO SAID FURTHER EXTENDED BAR INCLUDING A LINK PIVOTED TO A FIXED PIVOT ON SAID FURTHER EXTENDED BAR, AND PIVOTED TO SAID EXTENDED BAR, A FURTHER LINK PIVOTED TO A FIXED POINT ON SAID FURTHER EXTENDED BAR AND PIVOTED TO SAID EXTENDED BAR, HYDRAULIC MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID FURTHER EXTENDED BAR AND TO SAID FURTHER LINK FOR MOVING SAID FURTHER LINK AND SAID EXTENDED BAR OUTWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID FURTHER EXTENDED BAR, A FURTHER BOOM STRUCTURE PIVOTED TO THE OUTER END OF SAID FURTHER EXTENDED BAR. 